Coming Home
by Spinnar
Summary: Shawn Michaels is retired and now raising his son, Aaron, in as close to a normal life as possible.  But as Aaron becomes a man, they'll both have to deal with things they never dreamed over and will learn how unfair life can sometimes be.  HBK,HHH,other.
1. Chapter 1

_**Coming Home**_

Genre:

Rating: T

Characters: Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, Randy Orton, John Cena, Vince McMahon, Linda McMahon

Summary: Shawn Michaels is retired from wrestling and has one thing on his mind: Continuing to raise his teenage son, Aaron. But the sweet little boy Shawn used to know is becoming a man and dealing with more things than any teenager should have to. And with Shawn trying to manage his own personal life as well, the world can sometimes seem too unfair. But life, as we know, isn't always fair.

**Chapter 1**

He had been retired one year and was now a member of the WWE Hall of Fame. What to say…hmm? Shawn thought back to his days as a wrestler and found himself slightly missing it, but those days were gone. He was a home man now—a father and a Follower of Christ. His wrestling days were over. How sad…

Shawn shook his head as he made breakfast for himself and his 15-year-old son, Aaron. Today as the big day! Aaron's 15th birthday! Shawn thought back to the little guy running around in nothing but a diaper. To this day he could barely get the boy to wear a shirt. Shawn smiled—that blond-headed boy had it all and he didn't even know it.

If there was one thing he'd done right in this world it was Aaron: Shawn's whole world. Wrestling hadn't mattered as much after Aaron's arrival. Shawn had to admit, Aaron had picked a bad time to pop into the world, but who couldn't love that beautiful face that was identical to Shawn's? Well, there seemed to be one person on the cusp of love and hate but Shawn shook that from his head.

Aaron, born October 10, 1996, came at a time when Shawn and his then-wife, Cynthia Waller, were both living a tumultuous life style. It was Cynthia who had wanted to get rid of Aaron from the start and Shawn had been the one to save him from abortion and then adoption. Then, Cynthia seemed to slip into mother mode at the sight of her son. That wouldn't last long, though, and Shawn was sickened by the thought of what he'd seen when Aaron was only 18-months.

He came home to hear Aaron crying upstairs. Shawn had taken a look around, having been attempting to clean up, he and his wife were constantly checking on each other for signs of drugs or alcohol—or at least Shawn was. What he saw worried him. Meth…alcohol…pot—Cynthia had fallen off the proverbial wagon and it scared the hell out of Shawn that she had been home the whole week with Aaron while he was on the road with the WWE. Shawn panicked but was cool to react. He ran up the stairs, calling to his wife and ran straight to their baby boy's doorway. It was open and in a wooden crib was Aaron screaming, and there was Cynthia, her hands on him, shaking the baby.

"Shut up!" She screamed, "Shut up, shut up, shut up!" She was drunk off her head. Shawn felt like going ballistic. He ran to the crib to pull Cynthia away from the baby but found it hard to release her grasp, "Shut up you little brat!" And with that she reared back and slapped Aaron, causing the baby to fall back and scream even louder. Shawn used all his force to pull Cynthia away from the crib and pinned her to the floor. His breathing heavy his mind ran amuck about what to do. This was not happening. There was only one thing to do and so Shawn had picked a struggling Cynthia up and pulled her into their bedroom, holding her down with his knee while he grabbed the phone and called the police. It was risky, but Shawn didn't have any drugs or alcohol on him and had been clean, amazingly, for four months. Then, as the police came, all there was to do was wait, with a pinned down, screaming Cynthia below him.

They arrested her and took Shawn in for questioning. Aaron was taken away for two weeks while the entire situation was investigated. Those were the longest two weeks of Shawn's life and the most tempting, but he new retreating to pills would only keep Aaron away for good, so he fought to stay clean. Finally, when all investigations on Shawn were through, he was able to hold his baby boy, who smiled brightly when he saw his daddy. Shawn would never forget that smile. And he would never forget—or forgive—what that woman had done.

Shawn was brought out of his thoughts and jumped slightly as a loud cough came from behind him, Aaron entering the kitchen. Shawn turned to greet his son; he looked just like Shawn. The only difference was that he had bleach blond hair still—a trait of Aaron's mother.

"Morning, boy!" Shawn hollered gruffly, pulling his son into an unwilling hug, "Happy birthday."

"Dad," came Aaron's changing voice, muffled from his father's shirt, "I'm much too old for hugs."

Shawn let go of Aaron and smiled, "Are you now. Come here. Come here. No Come here." Shawn taunted with a smile as Aaron retreated, laughing and falling to the floor, "Come give your old man a hug!"

"No, dad, no!" But it was too late. Aaron was enveloped in a hug so tight he could barely breathe. This was one of those times he wished his father wouldn't work out so much.

But he was saved! The phone rang and a laughing Shawn got up to answer the phone, "Hello, HBK, The Heartbreak Kid speaking."

"You're an idiot you know that, don't you?" Came a familiar voice from the other end of the phone.

Shawn smiled, "But I'm your favorite idiot, Paul." He said to Paul Levesque, Triple H.

Paul sighed on the other end of the line, "So were on our way now. Should be there in about an hour if Murphy doesn't have another breakdown."

Shawn laughed, "What's got into her this time?"

Paul rolled his eyes and sighed again, "_Apparently_ it has something to do with my hair, gold, and Captain Hook. You can thank Aurora for that one." Shawn laughed as Aaron ran up to the phone.

"Gimme! Is that Uncle Paul? I wanna talk to him!" Aaron said, ungraciously yanking the phone from Shawn's hand.

Shawn looked down and raised his hands as he spoke to himself, "'Dad, can I have the phone,' 'Sure son,' 'Thank you, father who gave me life.'"

Aaron rolled his eyes as Shawn moved back to the pancakes—now burnt—that he'd forgotten about, "Uncle Paul! Guess what? I'm fifteen! Can you believe it? I'm grown!"

Paul laughed, "Yeah, I'm sure you are, kid."

Aaron leaned on the counter, shirtless as usual and wearing white drawstring pants, "So, tell me, what'd you get me for my birthday?"

About an hour later saw happy greetings as the Levesque family and Vince and Linda McMahon entered the house, luggage and presents in hand. Vince McMahon handed a greedy-looking Aaron a suitcase, "Here boy, your present from me to you. Now take it to my room!" He joked as he threw Aaron a heavy suitcase.

Paul walked in and he and Shawn shared a mutual hug to Aaron's horrified face, "Dad!"

Shawn smiled and looked back at his son slyly, "See, you're never too grown up for hugs." And Aaron scurried away before Shawn could get a grip of him again.

Stephanie McMahon walked in, her daughter Murphy in her arms, and looked around the entrance room that was their living room. It had paneled walls and tan fabric furniture. To ungraciously mismatch the décor there was a huge fifty-inch widescreen HD television and with surround sound. She shook her head as she hugged Shawn and then Aaron when he came back excitedly, "Men."

Shawn stepped to the side and kissed little Aurora on the cheek, "So the Captain Hook story worked, huh?" He said, nudging the giggling girl. He stood up and pointed to the door to the kitchen, "Well there's food if ya'll are hungry. We can have some coffee and catch up."

Aaron looked around bewildered, "What about presents?"

Shawn looked at Aaron sternly, "Aaron, quit it. It's very disrespectful." He admonished his son, who dropped his head in shame and followed everyone into the kitchen.

Linda McMahon smiled and ran a hand through Aaron's bleach-blond hair as he passed her, "Oh, Shawn, don't be so hard. It's his birthday! He's doing what any normal FIFTEEN-YEAR-OLD would do." And the acknowledgement that he was now fifteen seemed to perk Aaron up as he began an excited conversation with Vince about "the business".

"I think the bag think with Cody Rhodes is stupid, sir." Aaron added hastily to his blunt comment. But Vince took no offense, finding Aaron's honesty refreshing as the older man reared back and laughed.

"Well, then." Vince said, straightening up, "I guess I'll have to change it, then, won't I?"

Aaron smiled mischievously, "I wish you would."

Over by the stove, a little away from Aaron and everyone else, Shawn was checking on the cake he had baked. He had to admit that he was proud of himself: His first cake and it already looked and smelled so good. He was going to cover it in orange frosting—Aaron's favorite color, because, to be honest, that was about the only cake-decorating talent he had. And even that was a doubtful talent.

Shawn straightened up as Paul and Stephanie approached him. Paul leaned with his back against the counter, crossing his arms over his black shirt, "Any calls yet?" He asked as Stephanie looked up nervously.

Shawn shook his head, "No. But, as per usual, I'm trying to keep Aaron away from the phone."

Paul nodded as Stephanie looked back at Aaron and then Shawn, "She calls every year, doesn't she?"

Shawn looked her honestly, his eyes a little angry and a little sad, "Every year. And every Christmas, too."

"Have you ever let him talk to her?" Stephanie asked, keeping her voice low as Vince laughed at something else Aaron had said.

Shawn shrugged, "Can't always avoid. I can't blame him for wanting to talk to her sometimes."

Stephanie nodded as Paul studied the floor, "It's a shame."

Shawn's eyes now burned angry, "Yeah, it is a shame a boy can't have his mother for his birthday because she's a—"

"Daddy!" Came a little voice that caused all three of them to jump. They looked down to see an excited and curious Aurora Rose holding onto her father's jeans, "Daddy what kind of birthday party is it?"

Paul forced a smile, though he didn't really feel like smiling at the moment. Aaron might as well be his nephew, ignoring the blood-relations thing, and Paul felt the same sadness and anger that Shawn did. Nevertheless, Paul smiled and leaned down to be level with his daughter, "A pool party, baby, that's why we brought your swimsuit."

The little girl furrowed her brow, "In October?"

At this they all laughed as Shawn piped in, "Baby, I don't think you understand Texas climate as well as we do."

Aurora smiled at Shawn, "I can spell Texas though."

Shawn smiled, folding his arms across his Heartbreak Kid t-shirt he'd picked out that day, "Spell it, then."

The little girl smiled even brighter and swayed as she spelled it, "T-E-X-A-S, Texas!" And then she ran off to tackle Aaron by the knee, "Got you!" She screamed as Aaron crumpled to the floor, Vince laughing at him.

Shawn, Paul, and Stephanie looked at each other and smiled, "Well," Shawn said, "Shall we get ready? I think my boy's gonna burst if he doesn't see progress soon." And they all laughed as they helped to get the decorations out of a bag and stepped out back to decorate around the pool area.

Hunter hung some happy birthday signs up from the limbs of a tree and called to Shawn, not far away, "So, Shawn, what have you been up to? I mean, besides being a lazy bastard."

"Paul!" Stephanie screamed from across the yard, "Language!"

Shawn laughed, "Nothing much. Just taking care of Aaron, which is becoming harder and harder everyday."

Paul smiled, "How so?"

Shawn sighed, "Oh, when yours are fifteen, you'll get it." He was quiet for a moment as he studied the tiki light he was placing in the ground at the edge of where the concrete surrounding the pool met the grass, "I met a girl." He huffed out, not looking up to see the shocked faces of Paul and Stephanie.

Paul had to do a double take to make sure he'd heard right. Shawn didn't seem to be acting any different, "What?"

Shawn sighed, but smiled a little, "I met a girl—woman. Her name's Rebecca."

Stephanie stayed quiet, thought she was bursting at the seam due to this news, to give the best friends time to catch up, "That's great! How'd you meet? How is she?" Paul asked excitedly, fighting with the white happy birthday signs as the wind blew and they fell of the tree and wrapped around him.

Shawn smiled, "Church. Apparently we've been going to the same church for years and never even noticed each other." He thought excitedly of the woman with tan skin that he would see that night, "She's wonderful." Was all he could say. And the three then proceeded to catch up on all the phone conversations had left out. Soon it was noon and time for the guests to start arriving. And to think the cake hadn't been painted—err frosted—yet! Shawn ran in to find it had graciously been finished by Linda McMahon, who had scribbled "Happy Birthday, Aaron!" on the top in blue.

One by one the guests arrived and were treated to a lunch of pizza and soda and tea. Aaron greeted every person at the door with hungry eyes and eventually had to be banished to the backyard by Shawn for his crazy attempts to get peeks at the presents the guests were holding. But, not to be let down, Aaron had merely done a back flip into the pool that had only scared several years off of Shawn's life. Not to mention Aaron hadn't bothered to change out of his pants and into swimming trunks that Shawn had specifically taken him shopping for. There was 80 bucks down the drain, "Should've known…" Shawn mumbled as his wallet felt significantly lighter in his back pocket suddenly.

By the time all the guests had arrived—most teenagers and their parents—there were no less than fifty people out back as the sun began to fade. People swam and people joked about politics. People ate pizza and nibbled on chips, all awaiting the special birthday cake, though the adults new that was for the kids as the adults would have hamburgers, courtesy of Paul.

It was at five o'clock that there was a knock on the door and a dripping Aaron, who had been close to the back door and heard, came strolling through the house in a race against Shawn to answer the door. It was Shawn who just barely won, his longer leg advantage not as strong as it used to be but good enough for the time being. He pulled the door open to reveal a fifteen-year-old girl with flowing, slightly wavy brown hair and tan skin. Aaron took a step back and almost fell when he saw how nicely she was dressed—in a tank top and short skirt that undoubtedly covered a bikini. Shawn had to grab Aaron and push him forward to remind the boy of his manners, "Aaron, don't you want to say hi to your guest."

Aaron was pushed forward as he smiled stupidly, "H-Hi, Jessica. Great of you to come!" Was all he could manage to say, sounding so excited that Shawn had to hide behind his hand to hide his laughter.

Jessica smiled and stepped in, handing Aaron a wrapped box with a bow on top. She kissed his cheek slightly as she walked in, "Hi, Aaron. Thank you for inviting me." She said smoothly as Aaron tried to recover from her kiss. Shawn just smirked at Aaron as the boy swayed on his feet.

"Oh, dad." He said once Jessica was in the kitchen and safely out of range. Shawn just laughed and shook his head as he closed the door, "I'll be out back, Aaron. I'll let you two say hello." And then he walked through the kitchen and out the back door to be sprayed by Vince with the hose, "Dammit!" Aaron heard Shawn accidentally curse, though his father was laughing.

Aaron made his way into the kitchen and stood next to Jessica who stared at the table, piled with presents, "So…you missed school today." Jessica said.

Aaron grasped the back of a chair and looked at the presents, though now they were the farthest thing from his mind. All he could think of was Jessica. Jessica, "Ugh, yeah. My dad said 'cause it's my birthday. And it's not like I ever miss school anyway." He smiled, "Bet the teachers were glad."

Jessica laughed, "To say the least, Mrs. Taylor nearly announced a free day since the class clown was gone." And they both laughed. And then the phone rang.

Shawn heard it at the same time as Aaron did and, realizing who it might be, rushed to get to the house. But Aaron was right there and so he picked up the phone and said, "Hello?"

Shawn rushed in, his arm out automatically for the phone, but he was too late. Aaron's face went pale as he heard on the line a rushed and worried voice, "Aaron!"

Aaron stared at the counter as emotions he normally blocked entered his body, "Mom?"


	2. What It Takes to Heal A Heart

**Thank you so much to those of you who read the first chapter! I want this to be kind of a series so we'll see how it goes! And thank you to all of you who added me to your story alert list! Mucho love goes out to you! Anyways, hope you enjoy the read.**

**Chapter 2**

Aaron's hands felt weaker than they'd ever felt before. He didn't know what to say. He looked at the counter wildly and opened his mouth, his father's outstretched hand blankly ignored.

"Aaron! Aaron, baby! It's mommy! I wanted to talk to you! I—" But Shawn snatched the phone out of Aaron's hand before he could hear anymore, and Aaron found himself relieved, as guilty as he felt at the same time. He stepped to the side as Shawn straightened up and put the phone to his ear.

"Cynthia, you can't call here anymore. I keep telling you that—I don't care. Every time you interact with him he's a damn mess. Don't call here anymore." Shawn said forcefully into the phone before hanging up. It immediately began to ring again, at which time Shawn picked up the phone and muted the ringer. He turned to Aaron and grabbed his shoulder, "Aaron—"

Aaron walked slowly toward the backdoor and looked wide-eyed at the floor. His mother. His mother had called. To wish him a happy birthday? To say that she loved him? What'd he'd give to hear her say something like that to him. But his chance had just been ripped away again and Aaron was reminded of a time when he was four. He leaned against the counter as he remembered standing in the living room staring at the door. She was knocking. That strange, mysterious woman that daddy didn't approve of. But Aaron felt close to her still somehow. He began to walk toward the door but before he knew it he was yanked away by his grandmother and Shawn had rushed to the door, cracking it open and the following conversation between the two included things Aaron had never heard his father say to anyone before. And then she was gone. She was crying when she left—he remembered that. Aaron remembered every encounter with his mother.

Shawn stepped forward and tried to turn Aaron around, but Aaron politely shrugged him off and walked outside, "I'm fine dad. Just need to go for a little swim." He said in a high, tired voice. He was distant and that scared Shawn. It always scared Shawn to see him like that.

Aaron retreated to the pool and as most of the guests asked what was going on he swam in peace, thinking. He'd been on an outing with his mother once—when she was supposedly clean. And she seemed to be. It had been two years ago. But she had a rotten boyfriend at the time. And he hit Aaron. Worst of all, his mother laughed, drugged out of her gourd. Aaron shook his head. At least he had his father who loved him, just not a mother…

Inside Shawn retreated to a corner of the kitchen with Paul and Stephanie. He rubbed his neck furiously, his brow furrowed, and growled, "That woman. I swear. She's hurt that boy too much and she has the audacity to call here."

Paul shook his head, "I tried to get to the phone before he did."

Shawn looked up, "So did I. Didn't work, though, did it? Dammit!" And that was something Paul and Stephanie rarely heard from Shawn—cursing. It usually coincided with Cynthia and could be followed by an extremely moody Shawn.

Stephanie stepped forward and grabbed Shawn's arm, "Shawn, we need to pull it together now. You can talk to Aaron later—when he's feeling better. But now we should try to make the rest of his birthday enjoyable." And she was right. So they all stepped out back and the party carried on, for most of the unknowing guests, perfectly fun. And at the end of the night, when Paul and Stephanie and the McMahons had taken the two extra bedrooms, Shawn crept upstairs to talk to a wide awake Aaron.

Shawn entered the room after knocking and hearing no reply and looked down at the figure to his left, "What are you doing sitting on the floor, son?" He tried to muse. But Aaron's distant, wide face made him grimace.

Shawn knelt down before Aaron and tried to smile, "You know I love you?"

Aaron nodded, not looking at his father, "But she doesn't."

Shawn looked to the side and groaned, _Damn that woman_, he thought, "Aaron, I can tell you honestly that your mother, in some twisted way, loves you." He looked at Aaron earnestly, grabbing his shoulders, "But she's not safe for you. She's proven that time and time again." He said before adjusting himself in front of his son so that they were eye level. He grabbed Aaron's chin and made him look at him gently, Aaron's eyes watery, "I don't know how to make this better for you."

Aaron didn't hesitate. He leaned in and hugged his father, taking in the scent of comfort and home as he cried into his father's chest. And Shawn stayed there with him until the fifteen-year-old could cry no more.

A strict looking woman by form, Mrs. Penny was very friendly. Strict, but friendly—and an easy target for sophomoric jokes, "Now is not the time for chatter. It's the time for mixing chemicals—and not causing smoke to come blowing out of your vile, Mr. Hickenbottom." She said pointedly, with a smile, looking at Aaron.

When she was gone Aaron and his three lab partners sat around their table and laughed as Aaron mocked her, "Now is not the time for chatter." He said in a high-pitched tone, though he kept his voice low.

His friends laughed and one boy with black and brown eyes, mixing two chemicals that he knew very well would cause the smoke Mrs. Penny had just spoken about, said, "Great party yesterday, Aaron."

Aaron smiled, "Nothing special. Just some pool time to enjoy."

His friend laughed, "Isn't everyday pool-time for you? Water baby." He mocked.

Aaron laughed and looked over to his right at Jessica, dressed in a v-cut shirt that gave just enough of a show to tease any teenage boy, "And what about you, Jessica? Did you have a good time?" He asked honestly, dreading her screaming about how horrible of a time it was.

To his delight Jessica smiled and said, "It was wonderful. Especially seeing you there, all tan and without anything but your bathing suit on."

Aaron jumped up, "Oh if its less clothes you want to see—" he smiled the smile he shared with his father.

Mrs. Penny nearly collapsed at the front of the room, seeing Aaron lift his shirt, "Aaron. Do you want to go to the office?"

Aaron sat down, lowering his shirt but smiling broadly as the class laughed, "No, not today, thank you."

They settled down and Jessica became serious as the other two members of the table got up to get gloves, "Seriously though, Aaron. What was the phone thing about? You acted weird after that."

Aaron was hesitant and put on the best mask he could as his face filled and he busied himself with school work—something he rarely did, "Oh, ya know, the Queen of England wants me and all that."

Jessica rolled her eyes, "Fine, Aaron, don't tell me."

Aaron saw that she was mad and sat in his seat, looking at her, "Seriously? It was my mother."

Jessica raised her eyebrows and, not knowing the situation, perked up, "Oh and why didn't she come, by the way?"

Aaron hesitated, "Uh…she and my dad don't get on very well."

Jessica poured pink liquid into an empty vile, "Well that doesn't seem like a very good reason."

Aaron looked at her through the corner of his eyes, "You don't know the half of it."

"Are you gonna ask her out? You know you want to." Aaron's best friend, Riley, said.

Aaron smiled and laughed nervously, "Ehh…she's not interested." He said as they stood at their lockers outside their chemistry classroom, the dark hall bustling with students rushing to get out of school.

Riley threw his hand down and looked Aaron, "Dude, she was all over you in chemistry!"

Aaron rolled his eyes, "No she wasn't. Though she was all over me at the party. You know what I mean, wantin' to see the man and all."

Riley smiled, "Oh did you whip it out for her?"

Aaron smiled arrogantly, "Oh I gave her a little peak. But, you know, can't show off too much or she'll lose it."

"Will I?" Aaron froze. Riley burst out laughing. Aaron was afraid to turn around and stuttered as he did so to see a smiling Jessica, "I never saw anything." She said and Riley doubled over in laughter.

"Nothing! She saw nothing!" He barked out through gasps for air.

Jessica smiled, hugging her books to her chest, and then took off down the hallway, leaving Aaron nearly speechless. He finally turned to Riley and hit him, "Shut-up, man! Just shut it!"

That evening, when the Levesque's and McMahon's had left for home with tearful good-byes from the girls, Shawn and Aaron sat down at the table for dinner. Finally, with a smile to hide his irritation, Shawn folded his hands over his plate and said, "So do you want me to count the phone calls I got today? Mrs. Penny said you tried to strip in her class?"

Aaron looked at his father nervously. School was never a good subject. Between the B's and C's that Shawn wasn't happy with and the constant phone calls, detentions, and every once in a while suspensions, dinnertime had become tense in the past couple of years, to say the least, ever since Aaron had gotten braver about seeing his father's belt.

Aaron turned his head to shake the hair out of his eyes and smiled, "Well, you know, the ladies—"

Shawn leaned forward, talking sternly to his son, "Keep your damn clothes on."

"Ah, come on dad. It was funny."

Shawn waved Aaron off. He normally wouldn't get so angry except for the fact that he was getting so tired of the phone calls from school. Fine if Aaron wanted to be a wrestler like his old man, but Shawn was going to make sure he raised his one and only boy right, "I don't want to get any phone calls tomorrow."

Aaron smiled, "You won't, dad. Tomorrow's Saturday."

Shawn looked sternly at his son before announcing it was time for the Blessing. As they said Aaron smiled at his ability to get away with that. _Dad's getting so ancient_, he thought to himself.

After the Blessing, Shawn looked up at Aaron, who had already plowed into his plate, and looked his son over, "Rebecca will be over for lunch tomorrow. The three of us are going to have lunch _together_."

Aaron threw his fork down and gasped, "But dad!"

"No! You have to be a part of this!"

"Dad I don't want any part of this!"

"Well, too bad. If you would just get to know her—which you're going to, by the way—you would see that she's a lovely person."

Aaron glared at his father, "I'm not ever going to call her 'mom' if you two get married."

Shawn looked up a bit surprised, "And where did you get that notion."

Aaron sneered and rolled his eyes, "Oh I see how you two are together. I'll bet your just chomping at the bit to get her in bed."

WHAM!

Aaron nearly had to pick himself off of the floor from his father's slap. When he looked up, slightly dazed, Shawn was glaring at him, "You will _never_ speak that way to or about anybody. Understood?"

Aaron rubbed the side of head and growled, then grabbed his fork and stabbed his steak, "Fine."

Shawn looked up at him surprised. Where Aaron's attitude came from, he didn't know. But one thing was for sure: It would not be tolerated, "What'd you say, boy?"

Aaron grimaced and through his pride managed to choke out, "I mean, yes sir."

Shawn nodded and turned to look at his plate. Rebecca was excited—she thought Aaron was coming willingly. It would be great, she thought, that Aaron had finally come around. Great that he was willing to give her a chance. But Shawn knew better and so, as he grimaced and took a bite of his steak, he thought, _tomorrow's gonna be one hell of a day_…

**So how did you like it? Good bad? Please let me know! And thanks to all my readers!**


	3. On a Sunny Day

**Thanks to all those who read the second chapter and reviewed! It really means a lot to me to hear what you think! So keep letting me know how I can improve or what you'd like to see! Thanks! Mucho gracias!**

**And without further ado…I give you the third chapter lol. Not a big build up but I think it works, eh?**

**On a Sunny Day**

Shawn woke up on Saturday with a joy in his heart he couldn't describe. He'd never felt this way before. He pulled himself out of bed and faintly heard the sound of Aaron's radio playing. Sounded like The Beatles; Aaron loved sixties music and Shawn smiled at the interest they both shared.

He pulled a shirt on and stepped into the bathroom to brush his teeth. Rebecca was coming over for lunch! He felt like a kid again! Fireworks were going off inside his stomach. He smiled at himself in the mirror and fixed his hair. Should he wear a hat? Should he go natural? Let her see him as he was? Or should he dive into the cologne that he only wore to embarrass Aaron but now seemed like a good idea? He thought for a moment. Now there was the matter of dressing. And how to dress Aaron—white pants and no shirt was not going to work today and Shawn knew that was going to be a fight. But first, focus on self, Shawn thought. What would he wear?

He stepped out of the bathroom and to a closet built for two and sadly arranged for one: His old wrestling gear on one side and his normal clothes on the left. He walked over to his wrestling clothes and examined them for a moment, distracted and feeling a bit nostalgic. He'd been great when he was great. He'd been The Heartbreak Kid, Shawn Michaels. He'd been everywhere. And he'd had some of the best friends life could ask for. Now that was all gone. But he was a home man now. Every once in a while he would help out the WWE but he was officially—officially, he reminded himself—retired.

He turned to his left and examined his normal clothes. What was Rebecca going to wear? That was extremely important in his decision in yet he had no idea what she was going to wear. So what to do?

"Mom?" Shawn found himself on the phone a moment later, desperately looking for the answer to his problem.

"Hey baby, how's my favorite?" Came his mother's voice. She sounded tired and old, but Shawn ignored this. She was just feeling tired today, that was all—nothing more.

"Mom, I have no idea what to wear."

"Shawn your 46-years-old."

Shawn rubbed his forehead, "I know mom, but this is important. I need to know how to dress for Rebecca. I'm having lunch with her and Aaron today."

"Oh so Aaron's come around, has he." His mother said, before coughing on the other end. Shawn ignored this as well. She was not sick. She was not. The little boy inside him wanted to see her as perfect and healthy.

Shawn shook his head and smiled, "No but he's going to if I have to threaten him with clothes."

His mother laughed, "Well baby I think you look quite nice in your black shirt and jeans." Shawn was thrown back a little by this. Didn't he need to dress up a little?

He pulled his head forward a little bit and opened his eyes wide, "That's it? Nothing special?"

His mother smiled on the other end, "Nothing special, sweetie. It's just a lunch date."

"Oh…" Shawn said before walking over to his closet and pulling out the clothes his mother had ordered, "Well, how's the rest of the family?"

His mother breathed out on the other end of the line, "Well, your brothers are great. Scott came to see me and daddy yesterday."

Shawn nodded silently and then knew he was going to regret the question he was about ask, "And…how are you?"

His mother smiled on the other end of the line, "Oh, me? I'm tired. That's all, sweetie. I'm going for another blood transfusion Monday."

Shawn groaned, "Oh mom, I should come down to be with you."

His mother sighed and shook her head, "No baby. Aaron's got school and I'll be fine. I'll call you that night if I'm feeling up to it."

Shawn didn't like the thought of leaving his mother to do that by herself. Of course she wasn't by herself, but he still felt like he had a responsibility to be there. And she wasn't far—he could definitely make it. But she was right and she probably wasn't going to want guests on that day anyway. So it was with a heavy sigh that Shawn said, "You're right, mom, I know. I just hate it." Then they exchanged a few more words before Shawn hung up the phone.

It took him no less than twenty minutes to accept how he looked in his black shirt and blue jeans, but Shawn finally accepted himself as he was and put on a baseball cap. Then he walked across the room and into the hallway: Now, time to dress Aaron.

"Jesus!" Shawn jumped back and slammed into his own bedroom door as Aaron came out of his at the exact same time. Aaron gave his dad an annoyed look and then spoke, "Jeez dad. Well, at least your reflexes are still sharp for your age." And then he smiled and started to walk toward the stairs.

Shawn was too shocked to acknowledge that clear insult. Not only had he nearly jumped out of his skin and shed years off his life from that little surprise, but he was shocked to find Aaron fully dressed for the first morning probably ever. Aaron stood tall, wearing a camouflage shirt and white jeans. A weird mix but at least he was dressed.

Shawn stepped away from the door and looked at Aaron oddly, "Aaron, you're—wearing a _shirt_."

Aaron stopped, looked at his shirt and straightened it. Then he looked up at his father an rolled his eyes, "Yeah well I figured you were gonna make me anyways and since we're gonna be in the presence of a fancy lady and all I reckon I should cover up." Then he turned and descended the stairs.

Shawn smiled to himself as he watched his mismatched son walk away—maybe this day would turn out pretty great after all.

The sun was bright that Texas day as the three sat outside on a blanket in the bare light of the day. Shawn and Rebecca sat opposite two plates of crumbs as Aaron lay on the end of the blanket—the shirt gone now and apparently "lost".

Shawn smiled and looked at Aaron as Rebecca—luscious hair and green eyes—giggled, "Aaron, how in the _hell_ do you lose a shirt right off your back."

Aaron, his eyes closed and hands beneath his head as he basked in the sun, fidgeted a little as he spoke, sighing as he did, "Dad, you just _do_. It's the sun, you know? It melted it and all, I swear."

Rebecca burst out laughing but Aaron stayed straight-faced—he wouldn't give her the pleasure of more than a polite grin. Shawn rolled his eyes and turned to Rebecca, "I'm sorry. I've raised a heathen."

Rebecca laughed and her voice was sweet to Shawn as he smiled, "He's okay. He's a sweetie." She looked over at Aaron and stopped laughing but continued to smile, "So, Aaron, Shawn tells me you have a little girlfriend."

She was talking to him. Great. Just great. Now he had to talk back. Aaron let out a swift breath before speaking, "Not really."

Shawn could see where this was going. Aaron's friendliness was running short real quick. He'd expected this—after all Aaron had never responded well to Shawn having a girlfriend. But Shawn would be damned before he'd let Aaron throw a fit about this relationship. Rebecca was too special. She was like the sun on a bright, early morning—a beautiful flower that graced him with its presence.

He reached out his free leg and lightly kicked Aaron in the shoulder, "Sit up." And Aaron begrudgingly sat up and turned to face the two, though he kept his glare towards the ground. Shawn looked at Rebecca and smiled, "So how was the Church fundraiser?"

Rebecca smiled and perked up, her tan skin glistening in the sun, "Oh it was just great. We raised a lot of money for the charity group. I'm sorry you couldn't be there."

Shawn nodded, "Me too. But, you know—"

"So, Rebecca…" Aaron interrupted in a gruff voice. Both Shawn and Rebecca turned to look at Aaron, who picked the grass and furrowed his brow as he spoke, "You two seem to be really fascinated with each other. I wonder why that is…"

Shawn glared at Aaron and nearly growled under his breath, "Aaron…"

Rebecca held up her hand to Shawn and smiled politely, "Well, you know Aaron you'll experience this feeling one day. When you're intensely attracted to someone—your father and I just happen to have a lot in common and seem to complement each other well." She said and Shawn smiled at her and grabbed her hand, "That's right." He said. So she was good with angry teenagers—good to know.

Aaron let out a heavy breath and looked at the ground as he picked it, "So I guess that means you wanna nail my dad—oh I'm sorry! Have I gone too far?" Aaron sarcastically exclaimed.

Rebecca gasped and Shawn stood up, grabbing Aaron by the arm in one swift movement, "I'll be right back, Rebecca." He said and then he led Aaron back towards the house and through the back door. When they were in the house Shawn whipped Aaron around to face him. He was about to grab his belt when suddenly the look in Aaron's face caught his eye.

Aaron looked much older than fifteen in his eyes at that moment—his eyes burned with anger. It made Shawn stop and listen as Aaron spoke, "Go ahead and beat the hell out of me if you want to. Won't take back what I said, will it?" Aaron said in a deep voice the mimicked his father's.

Shawn put his hands on the counter and struggled to regain his composure. Oh that boy had no idea how much trouble he was in. Shawn stood up and raised his finger in Aaron's face, pointing, "You—you just go to your room and sit there. And I'll tell you what, boy. When she leaves I'm gonna come up there and tear your ass up." He growled. Aaron puffed his chest out and then pushed past Shawn to head towards the stairs. Shawn stood there for a moment until he heard Aaron's door slam shut and then returned, with a shake of his head, to Rebecca.

Rebecca looked up at him uncertainly, but her eyes held no trace of anger, "Where's Aaron?"

Shawn sat down and gruffly spoke, "In his room where he belongs." He looked at Rebecca sincerely, "I am _so_ sorry for my son's behavior."

Rebecca looked at the blanket and nodded, the wind blowing her hair, "He's just got a lot to deal with, Shawn. I mean I'm this new woman coming in and replacing his mother."

Shawn glared toward the house but allowed his voice to become gentler, "Yeah well with a mother like that he should be jumping for joy for a replacement."

Rebecca eyed Shawn reprovingly, "Now Shawn, that is his mother. Think about how hard it has to be dealing with a mother like that and all the while still holding a special place in your heart for her. That can't be easy."

Shawn shook his head and looked down, picking some crumbs off the blanket and putting them onto his plate, "You're right. Damn though." He looked up at her and smiled, "How can you be so understanding?"

Rebecca smiled brightly and kissed Shawn, "That's how."

Shawn leaned back and smiled, "So do you want to do dinner Tuesday night? We can try this again after I straighten him out a little."

Rebecca smiled and nodded, "Definitely. Actually, after Church tomorrow maybe I could try to talk to Aaron alone?"

Shawn was hesitant. Aaron had a foul mouth like Shawn had when he was younger and angrier. Did he really want that kind of impression on his girlfriend? He didn't think so, "Ugh…I just think we need to wait a couple of days so I can talk to him. Maybe get him to say what he's feeling."

Rebecca nodded, "Well I had a nice time today." She said, standing up.

Shawn stood up, too, and smiled mischievously, "Oh so you think that's it, do you? Think you're just going to get insulted by my son and walk away?" He said playfully before grabbing Rebecca and throwing her over his shoulder.

Rebecca screamed in delight, "Shawn! Shawn, what are you _doing_? Oh no, Shawn no!" She said before being thrown into the warm pool. She allowed herself to sink and soon heard and felt the splash of Shawn jumping in. When she came to the surface, he was there waiting for her with a smile on his face, "You are _so_ dead." She announced before lunging at Shawn. She fell face first into the water as Shawn laughed and taunted her, beginning the chased that lasted a good twenty-minutes.

When they were done playing, the two crawled out of the pool simultaneously. They walked into the house together. Shawn led her to a hall closet where the towels were, leaving behind them a trail of water, "It really was great having you over today, Rebecca."

Rebecca smiled, "It was a pleasure to be here." She said then she stopped and looked at Shawn earnestly, "Shawn you've got a sweet boy and I hope you know that."

Shawn nodded, "I know. But how he behaved today is unacceptable."

Rebecca nodded, "I just know if I could talk to him for a little while I could get on his good side."

Shawn balled up the towel and threw it in the dirty clothes hamper before looking at Rebecca, "I'll straighten him out. You don't need to worry about working on getting on his good side." Then he looked up and froze. He could see the night approaching through the wide-open door that he'd left locked, "Why is my door open?" He walked to the door and turned the handle—didn't look like a break-in. But what if it was? Aaron! Shawn sped up the stairs to find Aaron's door open and his room empty, "Aaron!" He screamed.

Panic began to fill his chest as Rebecca called nervously up the stairs, "Shawn, what's the matter?"

Shawn was wide-eyed with his back to his son's door, "My son, my son…Rebecca I left the front door locked."

Rebecca seemed to understand and from this point on they began to search the entire house, but no sign of Aaron. No sign of any sort of a struggle, either. Rebecca tried to calm Shawn down, "He probably ran off."

At this point all Shawn could see flashing through his mind were images of his son on the five o'clock news as one of _those_ poor children. Fear gripped him like he'd never felt before. Okay, so Aaron wasn't in the house: Call the police and then go looking for him—that's what he'd do.

Shawn walked to the kitchen and picked up the phone, dialing 9-1-1 with a shaking hand. When the other end picked up Shawn said in a shaky voice, "My son is gone…"

**So what do you think? Please review and let me know! I love to hear your reviews and see what's on your mind so PLEASE let me know!**


	4. The Horrors of Nighttime

**Hey so sorry about the long wait! One hospital visit and a bunch of family drama and here I am months later (how long has it been?) to finally update the story. Thank you for the kind reviews from before and keep reading and reviewing! Thanks! ; )**

**Chapter 4**

Aaron had walked down all the dirt roads he knew. That was where he felt safe somehow. And who needed them anyway? _They_ could go and get married and live happily ever after for all he cared. He walked along a lonely looking farm, growing tall grass that hid the home of the owner. It was a creepy place to be, this farm. He'd been scared of it as a little kid but not anymore—no need to shiver in fear.

Aaron walked on and on and allowed himself, finally, to soften about the idea of Rebecca. She was pretty nice to him. Maybe he was just being a prick. But _she_ wasn't his mother, for goodness sakes! His mother was some drugged out drunk who called him when she thought she looked her most "mommy-ist". But it didn't matter. That was the only mother he'd ever have. No matter how messed up she was.

A car passed by, the bright lights fading away before him as it passed. Aaron now felt terrible regret. Ha! It was just like him to blow up about something, do something dramatic, and then feel bad about it and finally come around. Why couldn't he come around before he did the stupid things? Why—

Aaron stopped, suddenly realizing he'd been hearing footsteps behind him. Who would be following him? It had to be an animal. A deer or something—but, no. Those were definitely the sounds of a person's footsteps. He shuddered as he looked around the empty streets. Then he closed his eyes and gulped, turning around to face who followed him.

It was a tall, burly man that stood about fifty feet away. He just stood there, watching Aaron. Aaron shuddered and looked past the man to see and old green Ford truck parked on the side of the road, "It's a bit late, isn't it boy? Shouldn't you be home?"

Aaron half-turned around but thought it best to keep his eyes on the man. He turned back around but kept his face tilted toward the ground, "Y-yeah. On my way."

The man shook his head, "No. You don't live that way. I know who you are—you're Shawn Michael's boy. Yeah I know all about you. All about your family. Your house is that way," And with thick hands the man pointed behind himself, toward his truck, "I'll bet your dad would be mighty worried to see you out this late. There's some bad people in this world, you know."

Aaron sneered, "I'm acutely aware right now, actually."

The man laughed, "Oh you mean me? No! I'm the one that lives in that farm. You know, the one you used to stare at when you were a kid with your friends. You were all so afraid, but there was nothing to be afraid of. I was always staring back."

Aaron shuddered and took a chance at taking a step toward the road. Somehow he felt like if he could just get across the street, he'd be safer, "I think I'll be heading home now."

The man followed his step quickly and shook his head, pointing to his truck, "No. You don't need to be walking home. I know where you live. I'll give you a ride."

Aaron shuddered even worse and looked up at the man in horror, "You know where I live?"

The man smiled and nodded, "I was thinking I'd pay a visit tonight when I saw you walking down the road. But, yes, I know everything about you." The man said in a grave voice. Then he jerked his head toward his truck, "Come on. Hop in."

Aaron stood frozen for a moment, no idea what to do. He could only think of one thing, though, as the man began to walk toward him with his arm stretched out: Run.

Aaron turned and started to run as fast as he could. The wind whipped his face in a blur as the man screamed after him, now threatening him. But Aaron wouldn't stop. He stayed clear on the other side of the road—he was not going to fall into field and disappear forever. No—he would keep running until somebody saw him. But would anyone see him?

"I said come here, boy." The man growled and fear engulfed Aaron as the man tackled him to the ground, Aaron screaming out instinctively. He screamed and screamed for help as the man tried to hold him down and then resorted to beating on Aaron, "Shut up!"

Aaron tried to push the man off of him, "No! Get off me!" He screamed, but the man punched him to the ground, giving Aaron a bloody nose.

"Boy, you are going to shut up, get up, and come with me." The man growled, beating on Aaron more. Then he smiled, "You wanna know the scariest part of a farm, boy: No one can hear you scream."

Aaron gasped as the man continued to beat on him, vaguely aware of lights pulling up quickly. Two figures rushed over to them and ripped the man off. And in the halo of light Aaron looked up in shock as Shawn looked down at shock, not expecting it to be his son lying on the ground. Shawn froze for a moment and stared at his bloody and crying son.

"Shawn!" Rebecca screamed as the man began to rise. Shawn turned around, an anger building up in him that he had never felt before. He wouldn't even allow himself to say the thoughts he had in his mind as pummeled the man to the ground and began to wail on him, Shawn much stronger than the man. He muttered things that no one understood as people from the farm they were in front of came running up in their pajamas. Aaron stared in horror, dazed as he watched his father.

It was two a.m. and the Hickenbottom boys and Rebecca sat in the cold emergency room, Aaron holding ice to blackened eye. Aaron felt frozen in a state of shock and Shawn in a state of horror and anger as Rebecca rambled on nervously.

"You poor thing! You could've been killed! What if we hadn't taken that road? We almost didn't take that road!" She looked at Shawn, who stood in a corner of the room, his arms folded as he bit his lip, thinking hard, "Shawn! Say something!"

Shawn looked up and made himself release the feeling he had inside him. As a result he started to shake and tears welled in his eyes as he walked over to his son. He put his head against Aaron's and cried, "I'm so glad you're still here."

**So there you have it. What do you think? There's definitely more to come on this, especially seeing as it was such a short chapter! Please review with any comments, angry notes, or ideas! Love to hear from you guys! And, I promise, I will be back soon! Thanks!**


End file.
